Ones True Home
by Lil'Conqueror
Summary: She had lost everything. Her family's all dead. Her home was burned to the ground. With her emotions turned off, she finds that there's nothing more holding her to the dreadful Mystic Falls. With that in mind, she leaves. A year later though, she returns. But with more baggage than she left with. How will everyone react to her sudden return?
1. Prologue

**Ones True Home.**

**Prologue; Ones True Home.**

**Summary: **She had lost everything. Her family's all dead. Her home was burned to the ground. With her emotions turned off, she finds that there's nothing more holding her to the dreadful Mystic Falls. With that in mind, she leaves. A year later though, she returns. But with more baggage than she left with. How will everyone react to her sudden return?

**Disclaimer: **No ownage whatsoever.

* * *

"Her humanity is off, Damon. She's going to end up tearing this town apart, don't you understand that?"

Damon rolled his eyes dramatically and heaved a sigh, pouring himself a glass of his finest bourbon. Turning around, he sipped gingerly from the glass.

"I thought we've been over this, _Stefan_. Elena's humanity would've been flipped either way the moment reality set in that the _only _remaining family member she had left, her _brother,_ was dead. If I hadn't told her to turn it off, she would've collapsed under her anguish in a more self-destructive way."

Honestly, it felt like he was talking to a two year old.

Stefan shook his head, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I thought we might've been able to handle that situation a little bit differently though."

Damon raised a brow, "Oh? And what would you have suggested? Wait until _after _she went completely ballastic?" He paused, thinking over the words he had said and switched tatic, "Well, _after _she turned into a ripper on her own accord and went on a killing spree despite the fact that the majority of the town is vervain-tapped." He smiled humorlessly and took another sip of bourbon.

"And besides, it's been three days and look," He motioned to their surroundings, "Nothing terrible has happened either. She's been on her best behavior so far!"

Stefan scoffed, "Yeah, _so far_. Key words, Damon."

"Honestly Stefan, you need to lighten up! Too much brooding will lead you to have permanent frown lines." He smirked before turning his attention to the doorway where Caroline's form appeared from a moment later.

Her face was awestruck in disbelief and horror. Her mouth was dropped and in that second, Damon could've apologized right then and there to Stefan for assuming correctly. (You know, if he was that type of man)

"She's gone." The blonde vampire murmured lowly, a ripped piece of paper falling from her finger tips and landing gently upon the carpet.

_Don't follow me._

_- Elena._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter one.**

* * *

The rush was amazing. I could feel the blood pumping through my body, my heart beat was erratic from the warm blood that coursed through me. Personally, I didn't know how I was ever repulsed by the idea of becoming a vampire; it was down right brilliant. The powerful feeling of being invincible, like you can do anything, _be _anything you wanted to be. You had the entire world at your finger tips and an eternity to mold it into your liking. And the blood, it just gave you this burst of energy that was definitely better than any damn energy drink I've had in my lifetime.

Unlike Red Bull, blood _actually _gave you wings.

A woman stood before me, her brown eyes were dull and practically lifeless as I danced around her, blood seeping from her neck and trailing down her chest slowly. She wasn't afraid, of course not, I had compelled her to be on her best behavior. The deafening music vibrated through the speakers; some type of dubstep, I believe.

The music coupled with this woman's blood sliding down my throat, I felt incredibly free. Slowly, a smile broke out on my face. I am free. Free of the anchor that was holding me down back in Mystic Falls. Free of Caroline and her big mouth and critical words about boys and school dances. Free of Bonnie and her annoying habit of bringing up her stupid distaste for the undead and those accompinied with them. And most importantly, I am free of all the drama and bullshit that comes with the Salvatore Brothers.

I didn't much care for Stefan's overbearing personality. I always felt suffocated under his insane scrutiny over my becoming a vampire. Animal blood was all that was allowed. He was afraid I'd hurt someone, he was afraid of the mental toll it would take on me if I actually murdered someone through my feeding. He was so scared I'd become a ripper like him, that I was nearly offended. I'm nothing like him. I'm my own person who is fully capable of taking care of herself. I suppose he also didn't appreciate my hopping in bed with his brother so shortly after our break up.

I giggled girlishly.

_That's _a funny one. I'm actually surprised I hadn't realized sooner how much better Damon was in bed though. Don't get me wrong, Stefan was amazing, but he didn't even hold a candle to Damon and his manhood.

It just got tiring though. Listening to Stefan complain about my relationship with Damon; listening to Damon complain about _our _relationship as well. I mean, c'mon, you've been chasing after me for God knows how long and once you have me, suddenly it isn't right anymore? Suddenly you have an attack of concious and believe that I'm just better off with your little brother?

Major face palm there. You just can't win with the guy.

I merely shrugged though. Coming out of my head, I looked back at the woman before me. She looked slightly wobbly on her feet, if her slow movements and droopy eyes were anything to go by.

"Oops, I might've taken a _little _too much from you." I cocked my head to the side sheepishly, before flashing a sinister smirk as the veins below my eyes began to pop back out. "Too bad for you that _I don't care_."

I couldn't tell you how many lives I've taken since I've left the dreadful Mystic Falls. I couldn't tell you how many times the news have been going off their rocker with horror over the sudden deaths and depopulation that has been going on around them. The only thing I could tell you was that this woman was going to die tonight and I was going to relish every last second of it.

* * *

It was nearing four in the morning when the club was starting to simmer down; the bodies that had accumulated throughout the night began to dwindle and I could see my night was coming to an end. The woman I had made my personal drinking buddy, (I use that term very loosely as it seems I was the one doing all the drinking and she was just the _buddy_), had disappeared for the evening to a place unknown; dead, of course.

I was only a few minutes into my walk back to my studio apartment when I felt another being close by. I exhaled slowly.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Elijah." I quirked a lazy smile as a lone figure walked beside me.

"You as well, Miss Gilbert." He nodded. "Still as sloppy as ever though. I see throughout this entire experience, that is one thing that hasn't changed." He commented briefly, though I couldn't detect an ounce of judgement, something that always put me off whenever we spoke of my indiscretions.

I spared him a glance over my shoulder. "And you never fail to clean up my mess."

"Everyone needs a hobby."

"Perhaps you should look into a lighter hobby."

He chuckled at that. "And leave you to do as you please? That's quite alright."

I casually shrugged, not really caring how he spent his time. After I'd left Mystic Falls, I traveled a bit. I didn't have anywhere specific that I wanted to visit, I just wanted to leave, to see the world, any world to be honest. Traveling meant I hadn't stayed in one place for too long and honestly, I didn't want to dilly dally too long in one place just in case anyone back at home decided not to heed my request. It's not that I cared if they found me or not, I was more than positive I could take them if they thought about dragging my ass back there forcefully. It was more of the idea that I wanted to find a place that I enjoyed living in; where the people were as tastey as they looked and I could party and dance and live until the crack of dawn or even later.

The only place that I could find that was even remotely like that, the wonderful city that never sleeps. California was a close second though.

True, it's only been a little over five or six months since my escape from Mystic Falls, but I found a nice living out in New York City that had everything that I'd ever need. (For the time being, anyways)

Along the way, I'd ran into Elijah one evening at one of my outings. He had caught me just as soon as I was done draining a nightly runner, tossing him to the side as if he were nothing. Elijah, after greeting me in his usual overly fashionable way, then proceeded to inquire about my being away from home and what I was doing draining a human to death in public.

Of course I answered him honestly. There was no reason to lie to him, I didn't particularly care what he thought about my decision. I was having the time of my life, who was he to get in my way?

After our meeting, it was kind of our thing now. Every time I went out for a snack or went clubbing and drained someone dry, he cleaned up after me. I never bothered to ask why he would do such a thing nor did I ever help him out in any way, I just did what I usually did and if I saw him, if he allowed me to see him, we would greet each other accordingly.

In this world I'd made for myself, despite my switch apparently flipped, it was nice having this little moments with him. Even though I could do whatever I wanted to, befriend anybody I wanted, it was oddly refreshing to talk to someone who knew me personally. (Someone who wouldn't tattle on me and help drag my ass back to town) And I didn't quite mind the older Original all that much. Even back in town, I never had hard feelings for the guy.

However, I didn't trust Elijah quite so easily. I didn't trust anyone, but that was another thing entirely. I could feel Elijah had an ulterior motive, one he wasn't so intent on telling me about. I questioned him multiple times on the matter, but his response was always the same; he'd smile and act like what he was doing was perfectly ordinary to which I assumed, Elijah being the more humane Original out of all of them, was some humanity type of ordeal. And out of all the Originals, Elijah was more of the secretive type, the type that wouldn't tell a soul about anything until they eventually found out when it was actually happening.

I could hear Elijah speaking from beside me and I quickly came out of my thoughts to hear him out.

"Are you finished for the evening?"

Which was a nicer way of saying, _'Has your appetite been sated for the evening?' _

I grinned but said nothing on the matter. Who knows, perhaps in another hour I'd be hungry again. Briefly, I imagined a nice musculer guy wisking me off my feet as I plunged my already bared fangs into his sculpted neck, his sweat and blood filling my mouth. The thought alone made my heart flutter.

Abruptly, I felt movements beside me begin to slow down. I looked over my shoulder and rose a curious brow.

"What, that all?"

"I do apologize that I cannot stay longer." He smirked, before looking off into a different direction. "Unfortunately, I have other matters to attend to this evening."

It seemed as if he wanted to say more, but I merely waved him off.

"Your matters are your own, Elijah, I thought we agreed to that."

The eldest Original chuckled dryly. "Of course, Elena. Perhaps a rain check?"

I simply nodded, something that was also our thing. Elijah sometimes made a habit of coming home with me for some tea as we sat comfortably discussing the latest in our lives; nothing too outrageous, but just enough where our conversation didn't bore us to death.

He gave me a curt nod, slowly walking up to me to place a chaste kiss to my cheek and departed without another word. I'm sure anyone would've felt like putty after that, but I was always neutral about it. Even when he first started doing it, though it was a little surprising, it hadn't bothered me in the slightest. I'd be lying if I said Elijah wasn't attractive; he had that classy air about him, sculpted into such a gentleman. However, our relationship wasn't like that at all. And despite my not caring how he'd react, I don't think I'd ever make such a move on him.

I smiled and turned back around.

But maybe I thought about it once or twice.


	3. Chapter 2

**A\N: **Quickly, I just want to let everyone know on some things that I didn't get to mention in my Prologue. First off, I'm not technically following the storyline of TVD.. In my future chapters, there's going to be a lot of new information that wasn't in the actual series. However, for the most part, the main ideas they have in the storyline will be in my fic. (You'll notice them when they come along) So, just bare with me and if you have any questions about one thing or another, just let me know and I'll try to explain! :) I think that's all, so happy reading!~

**Chapter two.**

* * *

_"I love you, Damon." _

After everything they've gone through, all the denial and bullshitting around, she finally admitted it.

_"I realized something today, about you, about us. And you can say that it's the sire bond; You know what? Maybe it is. But I'm telling you it's the most real thing that I've ever felt in my entire life. I love you, Damon." _He could still hear her whisper through the reciever. _"I love you."_

The amount of joy and happiness he felt in that moment, he just couldn't describe. He finally had her and even though he had his occassional doubts, at the end of the day, she was his. And time and time again, she'd prove it to him. She didn't give up on him when everyone else did. There was no other way he could think of to repay her for all that she's done for him.

Despite the months that have passed since he'd last seen her in person, he could still feel her lips molding to his. He could still hear her small whimpers and breathy sighs of pleasure. The sensation she brought to him when she ran her fingers slowly down his arms or ran her hands through his hair, lulling him to sleep.

Damon clenched his teeth in agitation, gripping the bottle of whiskey in his hand and glaring at nothing in particular over the counter of the bar. He had thought he was doing her a favor when he had her turn her emotions off, flipping the inner vampiric switch. If he had known she'd take off like that, he probably would've thought out a better plan.

But she lost the last remaining family she had left. Not only that, but it was her brother. She had clung so hard onto him, that when push came to shove, it literally tore her apart from the inside out. Sure, the majority of Damon's family was dead, and yeah, he's not the best brother ever to Stefan, but to actually lose him? Damon shook his head. He couldn't even imagine it. After all was said and done, Stefan was his little brother and regardless if they fought over women or not, they would always be family.

Now, the love of his life was gone. Emotionally and physically.

"Why am I not surprised that I found you here?"

Without looking up, Damon groaned. He'd know that annoyingly obnoxious tone anywhere.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" He drawled sarcastically, tipping the whiskey bottle back and taking a generous amount into his awaiting mouth.

Rebekah smiled, taking a seat in the stool beside him and quickly ordering herself a drink as well. From behind them, they could feel curious blue eyes on their backs, but only Rebekah turned around to flash the busboy a girlish twist of her lips. Damon could hear the Donovan boy scoff and continue working, only half ignoring their presence.

"I can see you still haven't any luck in _that _department." He couldn't help but say, chuckling amusedly to himself.

At this, Rebekah kicked him hard in the shin, causing him to wince and shoot her a glare.

She cocked her head innocently to the side and casually shrugged. "And _I _can see the doppleganger's absence is still affecting you."

At the mention of Elena, Damon's mood turned even worse. She just couldn't keep her mouth shut, as if his own mind conjuring her up wasn't bad enough.

"Don't you have anyone else to annoy?" He was ready to leave now.

Sipping from her gin tonic that landed in front of her, she grinned.

"And leave my least favorite Salvatore to wallow in pity all by his lonesome self? What kind of person would I be?"

He grinned back sarcastically. "A gracious one, actually."

"Too bad I'm not." She shot back easily, taking another sip.

"Very unfortunate." He concured as he stood up to leave, not really much into their conversation at the moment.

For some reason, Rebekah allowed Damon to take a few steps ahead of her before she dropped the bomb on him; one that chilled his person and left his mind reeling a mile a minute.

"It's too bad you don't want to stay and chat, Damon, I might just have information that could be of use to you."

That was all that was said and yet, Damon felt like she practically offered up Elena's whereabouts right then and there.

As he turned back around to face Rebekah's knowing smirk, he couldn't help but hope that this didn't come back to bite him in the ass.

* * *

A few weeks began to pass with no word from Elijah. When a few days went by, even a week, I still thought nothing of it. But after the weeks began to drag on with no sight of the Original, I could only surmise that he was putting his ulterior motive into play. It didn't bother me as much as it should have, despite my not being as old and powerful as he is, but I still held my confidence in high regards because I already assumed he was plotting something behind my back.

But if he even thought about getting those Salvatore idiots involved in this, I swear to some God out there that I'll wring his balls with my bare hands. Afterall, he is a man before he is a vampire.

It was late afternoon before I finally stepped out of my apartment. For some unknown reason, something told me to stay inside for a little bit longer. Something had been bugging me for weeks on end and I couldn't quite place what that feeling was. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened recently, despite not hearing a peep from Elijah in a month. But still, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen.

After a few moments with a total brain fart, I shrugged and set out to begin my day. Perhaps with an afternoon snack, it would come to me.

* * *

"I assure you, she is more than capable of handling the young one. Ease your mind, she will be taken care of." Elijah spoke softly yet with a hint of confidence that she did not feel.

The woman sighed, the exhaustion clear in her voice that did not go unnoticed by the Original.

"You should not overwork yourself, it is not good for your health."

Without seeing her face, he could tell that caused her to crack a smile, as weak as it may be.

"I may be dying, Eli, but I'm not quite there yet. I'll be fine." She paused briefly, her voice now taking a more firm tone. "I'm trusting you with my life, Eli. If anything should happen to my-"

"You have my word." He interrupted quickly, listening to the silence on the other side of the phone.

"I'm trusting you." She repeated, her tone promising hell if anything were to go wrong.

He smiled faintly.

"You have my _word." _

The phone clicked before he could affirm a confirmation. Pocketing his phone, Elijah brought his glass of wine to his awaiting lips and gingerly took a sip. Everything would go according to plan, of that he had no doubt.

Abruptly, his phone went off.

_'Any change yet? - J'_

Placing his nearly empty glass of wine on the side table carefully, he allowed his fingers to fly across the appropriate keys for his reply.

_'Not quite, but everything soon will be. How are things back there?'_

It wasn't as if he didn't keep open tabs on the welfare of those back in Mystic Falls, but he wasn't a man that could keep up with everything all at once, no matter how powerful he may be. Luckily, he wasn't alone in his scheme.

A moment later, his phone vibrated once more.

_'Nothing too outrageous. Nobody expects a thing. - J'_

Smirking to himself, he texted back.

_'Good. It won't be long now. Stay alert. I'm aware my dear sister is still lurking around and I do not trust that her intentions are pure.'_

It was true that he had gotten word that Rebekah had found her way back to Mystic Falls and he wasn't so foolish to not believe that she was wholeheartedly ready to wreck havoc. However, it was unlikely that she would put herself in her elder brothers way when he had his mind set on one thing or another. Still, he couldn't rely just on that thought alone. There was still so much that she could do to ruin his well devised plan he had burning on the forefront of his mind.

Again, his phone went off.

_'I doubt she'll be much of a problem,' _Without clarifying, he seemed to have a lot of faith. _'Just make sure nothing changes over there, this _has _to work, Elijah. - J'_

Nodding to himself mutely, he replied, _'It will.'_


	4. Chapter 3

**A\N:** I managed to get this chapter out even though I'm terribly sick.. Damn cold, ugh. Happy Holidays! Hope your 25th was everything you hoped it would be! xx

**Chapter three.**

* * *

Something was definitely up. I couldn't put my finger on it, but something was brewing up in this city and it held me on the edge of my seat. I sighed and took another sip of my beer. It was a welcoming change from my usual girly drinks, but nonetheless, I didn't feel in the partying mood. I began tapping my fingers in rhythm against the brown glass, every now and then looking out of the corners of my eyes to survey the bar.

"What's got you all riled up, love?" Macy, the bartender and a personal acquaintance of mine, eyed my curiously.

Turning my attention back to her, I watched her dry off a shot glass silently before shrugging my shoulders.

"Nothing in particular."

She scoffed, stowing away the glass and picking up another one.

"Oh really?" She seemed unconvinced. "Normally I don't see you at the bar too often. You usually have someone else bring you a drink back and it's _never _a regular old beer."

I waved my hand dismissively, throwing my head back and chugging the rest of the alcohol.

"Slow night."

Macy laughed, but said nothing further on the matter. She knew who I was, only because I'd found out that she was an old witch. And by old, I mean she didn't necessarily have her powers anymore. The details were vague, merely because Macy was pretty closed-lip about the entire thing, but I had no doubt that she got involved with a bad crowd and it ended up stripping her powers.

Or something unoriginal of the sort. Witches were boring little things. Nothing new to report with them.

Grabbing my attention, Macy motioned towards a full bottle of beer but after a moment, I declined. She seemed mildly surprised, considering I was usually in her bar far pass closing time, throwing back drinks like it was going out of style. Unfortunately, that uneasy feeling that had been plaguing my mind forced a wedge in between my bubbly personality.

Attempting to stretch out her senses, Macy gave me a quizzical look, seemingly skeptical that I'm alone and it finally registered to her. As if reading her mind, however, I shook my head.

"Not sure, to be honest." I looked back over my shoulder and scanned the room, barely interested. Tonight wasn't completely swamped, but there was quite a handful of tipsy groups. The men were doing some type of two-step next to one girl or another, throwing their heads back to gulp down a huge amount of some type of alcohol beverage. The women were giggling drunkenly, falling over each other and grinding against anything that was moving behind them. It disgusted me, quite frankly.

Okay, perhaps that was a bit hypocritical of me. I was sure I'd acted stupidly like that as well. But the difference between us, was that I could still look hot even falling all over the place.

Or maybe it was because I wasn't knocking back drinks left and right and so technically, I was looking at them soberly.

Either way, it was annoying as hell and I had to quickly look away before I got up and tore their spleens from their backside. Macy wouldn't appreciate bloodstained floors.

Giving me a blank stare, Macy sighed tiredly before turning her back on me and walking over to another lad looking for something strong.

"You're a puzzle, Elena. A very confusing and odd puzzle." She stated, leaving me alone to collect my disturbed thoughts.

Against my better judgement, I turned back around to the haphazard couple falling over each other on the dance floor. Sinister thoughts began to consume my mind, pushing against my wall to rip their throats out with my bare teeth, feeling the blood fill my mouth, staining my lips a deep scarlet.

_Elijah._

I growled darkly, pulling a crisp hundred dollar bill from my pocket and leaving it at the bar. Macy may not have agreed to my lifestyle, but she wouldn't argue with the face of a Benjamin. Pushing the crazy thoughts of the Original to the back of my mind for later inspection, I got up and sauntered over to the crowed.

Smirking seductively, I licked my lips hungrily.

* * *

Stefan crossed an arm over his face in exhaustion. His prior night festivities as well as the high and low search for his ex-currently psycho-girlfriend had worn him out. Things had been, oddly enough, a little too quiet around Mystic Falls. Despite the thorough SWAT team out trying to find even a _trace _of a humanityless doppleganger, things in town were calm.

Abruptly, the term the _calm before the storm _loosely ran through in his mind and he could only hope nothing too outrageous came out of whatever he felt was going to happen. Something felt out of place, different somehow. He couldn't quite place what exactly that feeling meant, but he could only surmise it wasn't particularly good.

Distraught.

That was the emotion he could feel bubbling beneath his skin, his sanity.

Ever since Elena disappeared without a trace, distraught was the one emotion he could recognize within himself. He felt partial to blame. Perhaps if he had done something more for her, held onto their relationship somehow, things would not have turned out this way.

However, it wasn't their relationship that forced Elena to fall of the edge. He was unable to protect those that meant the most to her. Her family. Her _brother _was the last part of what kept her depression at bay. He was the glue that kept Elena from falling apart.

So, perhaps Damon was justified in enforcing the sire bond to remove the emotions from her heart, to push her to move past the anguish and pain.

But, maybe it was an impulsive decision that inevitably destroyed and brought everything and everyone to their knees.

Elena was an emotionless vampire, out on the run with no one to know of her whereabouts.

Damon, on their on and off again search for the broken down Gilbert, was drinking down his misery in one bar after another and if he didn't realize how deep his brother's feelings ran for Elena, he would've assumed he wasn't doing much to participate in the retrieval mission.

Stefan opened his eyes and stared blankly at his ceiling.

His brothers feelings.

The blood coursing through his veins pumped deftly, the sound pounding in his ears. Abruptly, his jaw began to ache, the desire to destroy anything and anyone was strong.

He pulled himself up into a sitting position on his bed. The sheets that covered his half naked body pooled around his waist. Clenching and unclenching his fists, he felt the veins protrude from beneath the skin around his eyes.

_Blood._

He needed blood.

He needed to-

"Stef?"

Suddenly there was a woman directly in front of him, straddling his legs and staring into his teetering on the edge of red, forest green eyes. Familiar yet unknown hands cradled his face, her chocolate brown orbs clashing with his in a way that slowly made the hunger die down, all that was left was a soft buzz lingering within his soul.

"You're okay, Stefan," She murmured, cautiously leaning down to press her forehead to his. "You're _okay_."

Shutting his eyes, he exhaled shakily. God, what this woman did to him. She brought him to new heights, but he knew in the end, she would be his downfall. Bringing his hands up to envelope her into his strong chest, he allowed her mouth to seek out his in a desperate way to ease the tension he felt within himself.

* * *

"Mommy?" The little girl cocked her head to the side worriedly. True she was merely seven years of age, but she wasn't so childish to believe that her mother wasn't _sick_.

The frail woman in question turned to look down at her daughter; noticing her concern, she smiled and opened up her arms invitingly.

"I'm sorry, sweety, I don't mean to worry you." She apologized sincerely, leaning her head tiredly against the young girl.

Pouting, the little girl brought her tiny hand up to cup her mother's face.

"Is Elleey coming over today?" She asked, hope deep within her bright blue eyes.

She chuckled at her daughters name for the old, wise man and shook her head.

"Not today, baby." She watched as her daughter deflated in her arms and tried to offer her an apologetic smile. However, she wouldn't meet her mothers eyes. "He has a lot going on right now, _Aleah_. But do not worry, he promises to make it up to you."

Without warning, she began to cough hysterically. It shook her entire person so much that Aleah had to jump down from her mothers arms to give her some room to cough whatever it was in her lungs, up.

"Mommy!" Aleah yelled, tears rolling down her face as she watched her mother bend over to clear her throat.

Moments passed before she finally calmed herself down. She glanced up to meet her daughters worrisome eyes and frowned.

"F-Forgive me, sweetheart. I did not mean to scare you." She tried to smile, but her lips barely moved an inch.

Aleah stared at her in horror, the look so _wrong _that she wanted to erase it completely. But she could not. Because time was catching up to her and she didn't have long.

"Leah?" She motioned towards the bedroom door. "Why don't you go pick out a story book, anyone you want, and I'll read it to you. Just like old times, remember?"

It had been quite a long time since she had spent a night with her daughter, cuddled up with each other and getting lost in disney books.

Aleah paused, taking a small step backwards, afraid to leave her mother alone.

Forcing a tight smile on her face despite the strain, she said, "Go on, I'll wait for you."

She seemed doubtful.

"Promise?"

She nodded her head mutely and watched as her daughter raced out the room, trying not to take longer than she needed to. A broken sigh racked her body and she allowed her eyes to fall to her hand.

Her hand stained in bright red blood.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four.**

* * *

"You're actually going to take her _word_?!" Matt stared open-mouthed at the suddenly ridiculous Salvatore brother, unsure if he had heard the story correctly.

Sighing under his breath for what felt like the hundredth time that day, he shrugged and averted his gaze.

Matt shook his head in bewilderment.

"You're either incredibly stupid or really desperate." He concluded, rubbing his temple tiredly.

Damon glanced up quickly, glaring at the quarterback in such a way that Matt momentarily regret ever opening his mouth.

"Let's get one thing straight, _Donovan_," He began, abruptly taking the boys wrist in his iron grip and squeezing tightly. Matt visibly winced. "There's _nothing _stopping me from ripping your heart out through your lungs if you don't watch your tone with me."

Matt knew Damon's threat was real.

They always were.

"Next, I'm not taking anyone's word on _anything_. I know Rebekah is a lying piece of shit and she's just bored out of her mind, so she's trying to wreck havoc." Feeling a slight crack under his grip, Damon released his wrist and sighed. "But I'm running out of options right now and if she's going to throw a bone our way, I'd be an idiot not to take it."

He was ashamed to admit it and he could only hope that Rebekah didn't end up making him regret his decision to take her word on Elena's whereabouts. But hell if she were lying, he'd enjoy giving her brother crimson red blood to paint his next masterpiece with.

Holding his growing bruised wrist, Matt made to get up.

"I just hope you know what you're doing, Damon." As if an afterthought, he looked over his shoulder. "What about Stefan? He got anything to go on?"

Damon's form grew rigged at the mention of his little brother's name and it felt like ages before he slowly shook his head, his face impassive. Finding the notion quite odd, Matt stared down at him in confusion for a moment longer before he turned back ground, his lips set in a firm line and got back to work.

Glancing at Matt from the corner of his ice blue orbs, Damon narrowed his eyes.

_'Just what are you doing, baby brother...'_

* * *

Things were going quite smoothly considering how crazy things had been lately. Rebekah was no stranger to the likes of hell, what with having an evil Hybrid brother that literally took time out of his day to cause mayham on his family who tried their best to be there for him. Although, it was a breath of fresh air not having Klaus breathing down her neck at every single turn. He had moved on to New Orleans, facing his own demons that lurked beyond every shadow and for all she cared, he could rot with his demons.

Klaus had given her nothing to be proud of. And honestly, if something happened to restrain him long enough to cause him some type of pain and suffering, she'd probably celebrate.

Scratch that.

She would _definitely _celebrate.

Chuckling to herself at the mere thought of Klaus falling to his knees, she failed to notice the slight shift in the air around her.

"Something amusing, little sister?"

Blinking, her mind focused on the familiar voice.

"I was wondering when you would show up. Honestly Elijah, your manners are lacking." She chided softly, turning to face him and raising her champagne glass in cheers.

Smirking, he made his way around the table across from her. Pouring himself his own glass, he tilted it towards her.

"Forgive me, I was held up."

Shaking her head, she smiled and sipped gingerly on her bubbly drink.

"Was there a problem?"

Elijah smiled.

"Of course not. I was just making some last minute arrangements." He sipped his champagne. "And things on your end?"

"Have you no faith in my abilities, dearest brother?" She pouted, her tone teasing. "It was simple enough to get his attention."

The eldest Original nodded. "I imagine all you had to do was say her name." He guessed, already foreseeing the answer.

She hadn't bothered to answer his question, somehow realizing it was rhetorical and looked down instead. "How odd though, his feelings for that damn woman. He would do anything for her, even risking his own life for the sake of her love." She trailed off, her mind clouding with old memories of when she believed true love existed. Such a long time ago, a part of her wanted to believe it never occurred.

For she was a vampire, an Original at that. Love was not in her cards.

Not with-

"Rebekah?" Elijah questioned, placing his half empty glass on the table and looking at her with slight concern.

Scoffing, she cocked her head to the side, bringing her eyes back up to her brother sternly.

She raised her glass, a secretive look hidden behind her smile.

"Shall we then?"

* * *

It was happening. Whatever Elijah had been secretly plotting behind my back, it was happening. Of course, it was obvious. I didn't trust anyone that came out of that shithole Mystic Falls; didn't trust anyone who resembled a piece of my old life. Realizing too late that I should have questioned the much older vampire more instead of letting everything play out.

I should have done _more_.

I was foolish.

However, I refuse to allow Elijah Mikaelson the last laugh.

* * *

Something was wrong. Of course, she should have realized right off the bat that considering she was dying. She'd known for awhile that she didn't have long before the disease spread throughout the rest of her upper organs. Breathing had begun to be too much to handle and most of the time, she felt like she was going to fall over or pass out. She tried not to get into her fits of coughing in front of her daughter, but that night was impossible. She could literally feel the air wheezing within her lungs and the blood rushing up her throat and into her mouth.

Fortunately, her daughter hadn't witnessed _that _part.

Still, she knew Aleah was anxious, awaiting for _something _to happen to her dear old mother. She wasn't sure what exactly it was, but it was a fleeting thought.

Sighing tiredly, she forced her body up and towards the front porch. Aleah was resting stiffly on the couch, as if at any minute she would spring up out of a sound sleep if the need arose.

Briefly, she caught movement outside and feeling suddenly alert, she pushed her body to move. Opening the door wildly, she allowed her eyes to race over every inch of her front lawn, taking in the scenery and seeking out anything that could be labeled as 'out of place'.

It was quiet outside. Well, being on the outskirts of town with not as many houses around hers would probably be the reason why. But even so, not a single bird or bee was about, causing even the smallest amount of noise to settle her uneasy feeling.

So focused on pinpointing anything that could me amiss, her form grew abruptly solid when a familiar tiny hand pulled delicately on her hand.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" Aleah murmured softly, trying to rub the tiredness from her blue eyes.

Sighing deeply, she turned to look down at her daughter. Smiling gently, she willed her body to lean down without falling over and placed a reassuring hand over her little one's.

"Nothing, sweetheart. Mommy just needed some fresh air. Did you sleep well?"

A look of doubt flashed across Aleah's face, but it was gone within the next split second.

"I still tired..." Aleah yawned, the expression on her face priceless as small tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. Chuckling in amusement, she pushed her body to stand up and grasped her daughters small hand.

"How about some hot cocoa and one of your princess movies, hm?"

At the mention of chocolate and one of her favorite princess movies, Aleah perked up considerably, a smile conqueroring her entire face.

"Can we have some of the cookies Uncle Jay brought over, too?!"

Grinning cheekily to try and match her daughters enthusiasm, she nodded and watched with contentment as the young girl raced back inside to prepare. The little girl was bursting with such energy despite the nap she had taken moments before. It was refreshing despite the slight pain that pierced her heart at the idea of what was to befall her and the love of her life.

Shaking her head to rid such thoughts from her mind, she followed after her daughter, missing the ghost of a shadow smiling sadly behind her.


End file.
